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Not yet,I remind myself.

Killian is no closer to figuring out who was bold enough to steal from us, and soon I’m going to have to start questioning those who work for me, something I loathe the idea of. I’m a good boss, despite the line of work we’re in, and I help my employees in every way possible.

If one of my delivery drivers needs a day off with their sick kid, I make it work.

If one of my dealers has a death in the family, I pay them to have time off with their loved ones, as well as pay for the funeral.

When Larry, one of the warehouse workers, found out he had cancer last year, I paid for his treatment and all his expenses so he could get himself better.

I may be a shady criminal, but I’m a good boss, and I’m going to be especially fucking pissed if one of them thinks they can steal from me. I run the business the way I do to ensure loyalty, because that’s the only way you build mutual trust.

The number of people who know that warehouse exists is lower than some of the others, so the suspect pool is much smaller than most of the others, giving me hope it’s none of my guys.

A small whimper fills the room, and I shoot my eyes up to see Ember roll onto her side, her entire body trembling.

A nightmare.

I’ve watched her have a few on the cameras, but this is the first one I’ve seen in person. I was beginning to delude myself into thinking my presence alone was enough to keep them away, but clearly, that’s not the case.

“No,” she cries, and the sound of her distress has me out of my seat before I can think it through. If she wakes up to me looming over her, it’s going to take a whole lot more work to make her mine. She’ll run from me. She’ll try to deny me. Though the end result will remain the same.

But I would rather our relationship not begin that way.

Another cry fills the room, and before I know it, I’m kneeling beside the bed.

I’m not a man that kneels for anyone, but for Ember I’ll get on my knees every damn day if that’s what it takes to keep her.

I brush my fingers down her cheek, noticing the cold sweat that’s broken out across her brow.

There’s nothing I want more than to pull her into my arms and hold her close. To tell her she has nothing to fear because I’ll never allow her to feel another moment of pain, but I manage to restrain myself…just.

The small section of sheet that covered her hips falls away, and my chest tightens at the sight that greets me.

Cuts.

So many that I can barely count them in the dim moonlight.

They litter the tops of her thighs where her clothes would cover them, and my stomach sinks.

I knew she was hurting, but I didn’t realize just how badly.

An ache settles in my chest as I brush the tips of my fingers over the aging scars.

I need to move the timeline up.

I can’t allow my woman to suffer alone.

I won’t.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

EMBER

The faint scent of whiskey and vanilla lingers in my apartment as I drag myself out of bed, further proving my theory that I’m losing my mind. That’s the only explanation for thinking I smell Orion every time I wake up.

Maybe it’s my subconscious telling me I made a mistake by ending our sessions.

As weird as it sounds, I miss him. I really fucking miss him. More than I should, seeing as I still haven’t Googled the man.